From Distillery Cave, Oban, Argyll
This antler tool, perhaps for working hides, was found at Distillery Cave at Oban in Argyll. It was used sometime between 7500 and 1000 BC.
The spatula-like tool has a notch in the middle. It is worn smooth.
There were three stages to prepare a skin to make leather. First the hide was removed from a dead animal using knives. Next, it was cleaned. Then it was preserved by rubbing salt, a mineral like alum or oils into it, using tools such as this one.
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